Shloka 10
पश्यैतान् पार्थिवान् शूरान् निहतान् भैमसेनिना । नानाशस्त्रैरभिहतान् पादपानिव दन्तिना,'भीमसेनके पुत्रने नाना प्रकारके शस्त्रोंद्वारा जिन शूरवीर नरेशोंको घायल करके मार डाला है, वे हाथीके गिराये हुए वृक्षोंके समान यहाँ पड़े हैं, इन्हें देखो
paśyaitān pārthivān śūrān nihatān bhaimaseninā | nānāśastrair abhihatān pādapān iva dantinā ||
Sañjaya said: “Behold these heroic kings, slain by Bhīmasena—struck down by weapons of many kinds—lying here like trees felled by an elephant.” The image underscores the brutal momentum of battle: valor and royal status offer no protection when force, wrath, and martial skill surge beyond restraint, leaving the field strewn with the fallen and confronting the survivors with the stark moral weight of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the devastating reality of war: even celebrated kings and heroes can be cut down swiftly. Through the simile of trees toppled by an elephant, it points to the fragility of worldly power and the heavy ethical aftermath that follows unchecked martial destruction.
Sañjaya, narrating the battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, draws attention to the battlefield where many warrior-kings have been killed by Bhīma using diverse weapons. Their bodies lie scattered, compared to trees knocked down by an elephant.